---
id: duplicates.how-long-does-a-duplicate-scan-take
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/how-long-does-a-duplicate-scan-take
category: "Duplicate files"
subcategory: "Scanning and Auto-scan"
question: "How long does a duplicate scan take?"
alt_questions:
  - "Why is the duplicate scan taking so long?"
  - "Duplicate scan still running"
  - "How fast is the duplicate finder?"
  - "The duplicate scan seems stuck on Comparing files"
  - "When will my duplicate results be ready?"
short_answer: "It depends on how many and how large your files are. The progress line shows each step; comparing big files like videos takes longest, and later scans are faster because unchanged files aren't re-read. Cloud results appear as they're found."
tags: ["duplicates", "scan", "speed"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/what-does-scan-now-do-in-duplicates", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/why-is-my-cloud-duplicate-scan-taking-so-long", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/does-duplicate-scanning-slow-down-my-mac"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# How long does a duplicate scan take?

It depends on how many files you have and how large they are, so there's no fixed time. A scan first lists your files, then compares only the ones that could possibly match, and the progress line shows each step — *"Scanning your files…"*, *"Comparing files… of …"*, then *"Grouping duplicates…"*.

Comparing large files such as videos and disk images takes the longest, because their content has to be read. Later scans are faster, since files that haven't changed aren't read again.

Cloud accounts work differently: the time is mostly spent waiting for your provider to list every file, and results appear as they're found, usually within about a minute. See [why a cloud scan takes a while](https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/why-is-my-cloud-duplicate-scan-taking-so-long).